Nearly one in five people aged 65 and over in Ealing are still in work, a trend that highlights how rising living costs and low pensions are limiting older Londoners’ chances to retire.
According to new analysis of official employment data compiled by Bower Home Finance using NOMIS figures from the Office for National Statistics, 18.6% of Ealing’s over-65s remain in employment, around seven percentage points above the UK average of 11.7%. That places Ealing 11th among all London’s boroughs for senior employment.
Neighbouring Hounslow has a slightly lower rate, with 11.9% of older residents still working, while Harrow stands at 10% and Brent at 12.4%. Hammersmith & Fulham stands out with 35.9% of over-65s still working, the highest proportion in London and more than double Ealing’s.
The data reveals that London dominates the national picture when it comes to older people remaining in the workforce. In some boroughs, including Newham and Waltham Forest, more than a quarter of over-65s continue working, nearly 20 percentage points above the national average.
Geoff Charles, chief executive of Bower Home Finance, told EALING.NEWS: “Ealing sits in a middle ground when it comes to later-life employment. With nearly one in five residents aged 65 and over still working, it is well above the national average but notably below the very high rates seen in inner London boroughs such as Hammersmith & Fulham or Newham.
“London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and its high living costs are now being felt not only in central areas but in outer boroughs too. For many older residents, staying in work has become a financial necessity rather than a choice. And while Ealing still offers a slightly more sustainable balance than parts of inner London, rising costs are making full retirement increasingly difficult across the capital.”
